Bloomberg makes bold choice for new BusinessWeek editor in chief

In case it wasn't perfectly apparent that it's a new day at BusinessWeek, the magazine's new owner, Bloomberg LP, cleared things up Tuesday with its appointment of a new editor in chief. The job will go to Josh Tyrangiel, who, as deputy managing editor of Time, had been overseeing the newsweekly's fast-growing online presence. He replaces Stephen Adler, who resigned after McGraw Hill's sale of the title was announced.

Tyrangiel represents fresh blood in more ways than one. At 37, he's younger than many of the longer-serving editors and writers on BusinessWeek's masthead (although it's not yet official which of those editors and writers will be sticking around). And his background is in general news and entertainment, not business, unlike others who were reported to be possibilities, such as former Fortune editor Eric Pooley and former Portfolio editor Joanne Lipman.
What Tyrangiel does have going for him is star quality. He's said to be a favorite of Time Inc. editor in chief John Huey and of Time Warner (TWX) Chairman Jeff Bewkes, who've been grooming him for one of the company's top editorial jobs, perhaps as managing editor of Time. The reason for their confidence is simple: "He kicks ass," says one former coworker.

Tyrangiel's talents are familiar to Norman Pearlstine, Bloomberg's chief content officer, who was editor in chief of Time Inc. from 1995 to 2005, and to Jim Kelly, former managing editor of Time, who is working with Pearlstine on the integration of BusinessWeek into Bloomberg.

That integration is coming to a head this week. In recent days, BusinessWeek staffers have have been required to re-apply for their jobs, undergoing interviews and offering critiques of the pages they edited, according to sources. By the end of this week, all will find out whether they'll have positions waiting for them at the new BusinessWeek. While some layoffs are expected, Pearlstine has said that Bloomberg plans to keep the magazine's weekly frequency and invest in more editorial pages.

"Josh is a huge talent. I'm really proud of him," said Rick Stengel, the managing editor at Time. "He set us up for the future here, and I wish him every success."